An anonymous source told AP that Armstrong, who last year was stripped of all results dating back to 1998 including his seven Tour de France titles, fronted staff to say, "I'm sorry".

The report said that both Armstrong and staff were "choked up". The 41-year-old Armstrong said that he had let staff of the charity down because of his consistent denials regarding his performance-enhancing drug use, and in doing so had put Livestrong at risk. It is also reported that Armstrong said that he would attempt to restore the charity's reputation.

The move came before the Texan was scheduled to begin recording an interview with Oprah Winfrey where it is expected that he will confess to doping throughout his career. It will be Armstrong's first interview since the catastrophic report handed down by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) which detailed the systematic doping practices used by the cyclist and his U.S. Postal Service team.

Media have been camped outside of Armstrong's house in the lead up to the Winfrey interview, with the recording set to take place there, however it would appear as though the program will now be taped at an Austin hotel. Armstrong's legal team and other close advisers will be on hand during what is said to be a "limited" confession.

Armstrong stepped down as chairman of Livestrong in the wake of the release of USADA's Reasoned Decision document but remained on the board of directors. He later resigned from that position as well, effective November 4, 2012.

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